The Church's Relationship to the Day of the Lord in 2 Thessalonians 2.12 (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday November 6, 2024

The Day of the Lord Series: The Church’s Relationship to the Day of the Lord in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Lesson # 47

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Paul attempts to correct and reassure the Thessalonians that the eschatological day of the Lord does not precede the rapture or resurrection of the church.

He teaches that the Spirit, who indwells each member of the church and prevents the appearance of Antichrist and thus the seventieth week of Daniel from beginning, must be removed from earth before the Antichrist can manifest himself.

Thus, the Spirit and the church must be removed before the seventieth week can take place since Daniel 9:27 teaches that the seventieth week begins with Antichrist establishing a treaty with the nation of Israel.

Therefore, Paul is addressing in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 the relationship between the church as well as the rapture and the eschatological day of the Lord, i.e., the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ’s arrival resulting in our gathering before Him, each of us is requesting each and every one of you brothers and sisters 2 that each one of you would not be easily shaken from your composure, nor be alarmed by either a spirit, or by a message, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the Lord’s day is taking place. (Pastor’s translation)

The reference to the day of the Lord or “the Lord’s day” refers to the eschatological day of the Lord, which is composed the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

Now, Paul’s polite request in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 was a reminder of what Paul asserts in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 that the Thessalonian Christian community must test those who claim to be communicating prophecy or Christian doctrine.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Do not let anyone deceive any one of you in any way. For, if the rebellion does not take place first, namely the unique person characterized by a distinguishable lawlessness has been revealed, that is, the unique son characterized by a distinguishable destruction, then the Lord’s day is absolutely not taking place. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 The one who for his own benefit opposes, yes even, for his own benefit exalts himself against each and every so-called god or object of worship. Consequently, he himself sits down inside the one and only God’s temple in order to present himself as God. (Pastor’s translation)

The referent of the noun apostasia (ἀποστασία), “rebellion” refers to the great rebellion led by the Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel, which is indicated by the fact that this noun is ambiguous and begs to be defined and it is defined or identified in verses 3 and 4.

Paul is asserting that the apostasia (ἀποστασία), “rebellion” is the Antichrist leading a rebellion of the human race against Jesus Christ during the seventieth week of Daniel.

Thus, this “rebellion” is Antichrist opposing God by demanding the human race worship him rather than God and of course, Satan is behind the Antichrist since Isaiah 14:12-14 teaches that he desires the world to worship him and not God.

Paul’s description of the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 corresponds with the description of the little horn in Daniel 7:8, 11, 24-25 and 9:27, the first beast in Revelation chapter thirteen.

In 1 John 2:18, the apostle John calls this person “the Antichrist.”

John uses this term in 1 John 2:22, 4:3 and 2 John 7 to describe those who reject the human nature of Jesus Christ and are involved in Docetic Gnosticism.

So therefore, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 are describing a person who John calls “the Antichrist.”

2 Thessalonians 2:5 Do you not remember that while I was still living among each one of you, I was regularly communicating these things to each one of you? 6 So now each and every one of you possess an accurate comprehensive knowledge of that which is preventing this in order that he himself has been revealed during his own distinct period of time. (Pastor’s translation)

The referent of the neuter singular form of the verb katechō (κατέχω), “ that which is preventing ” is the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit, who indwells every church age believer, working through the individual members of the church who are in fellowship with Him through obedience to His teaching in the Word of God.

This interpretation is indicated by several factors.

First, only the omnipotence of God can restrain evil and the manifestation of the Antichrist by Satan and secondly, the neuter gender of the participle conjugation of this verb katechō conforms to the gender of the pneuma (πνεῦμα), “Spirit.”

In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, Paul switches from the neuter of this verb to the masculine (ὁ κατέχων), which confirms to the personality of the Spirit by ad sensum agreement.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:6, the neuter gender emphasizes the manifestation of the omnipotence of the Spirit through the church while the masculine gender in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 emphasizes the personality of the Holy Spirit.

Thirdly, the gospel is the power of God for salvation and the Spirit speaks to the unregenerate regarding the Father’s will for them to trust in His one and only Son Jesus Christ as Savior in order to be reconciled to Him, who is holy (cf. Rom. 1:16-17).

The fourth reason for this interpretation is that 1 Corinthians 1:18 says that the word of the cross is the power of God.

Hebrews 4:12 asserts that the word of God is alive and powerful and Ephesians 6:17 asserts that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit and Matthew 4:1-11 reveals that Satan is defeated by the application of the word of God, which appropriates the omnipotence of the Spirit, thus, the sword of the Spirit was employed by the Lord Jesus to defeat Satan.

The fifth reason is that John 14:17, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19 and 1 John 2:20 and 27 teach that the Holy Spirit indwells each church age believer.

The sixth reason is that the removal of the ho katechōn (ὁ κατέχων), “the one who holds back,” which is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 results in the manifestation of the Antichrist.

The seventh reason is that the rapture will result in the removal of the Holy Spirit manifesting His omnipotence through church age believers because it will remove the church from the earth which again is indwelt by the Spirit.

This seventh reason is supported by the fact that 1 Thessalonians 1:10 Paul taught the Thessalonians that they were delivered from the wrath to come and in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 he develops this doctrine addressing in this passage the Thessalonians relationship to the eschatological day of the Lord.

He asserts in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that the Thessalonians were not destined for wrath but rather God appointed them to experience the acquisition of salvation as a permanent possession through the Lord Jesus Christ and also, the rapture is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:1.

In fact, a comparison of 2 Thessalonians 2:1 with 2:2 reveals that that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were concerned that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community would understand completely the relationship between the rapture, i.e., resurrection of the church and the eschatological day of the Lord.

The fact that the church, which is indwelt by the Spirit, is removed along with the Spirit at the rapture would serve as a comfort that the Thessalonians would not experience the eschatological day of the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery which is characterized by a distinguishable lawlessness for its own benefit is already at work only until the one who now prevents it from being revealed causes Himself to depart from the midst of the world. (Pastor’s translation)

In 2 Thessalonians 2:7 we have an elliptical participial clause, which like 2 Thessalonians 2:6 contains the participle conjugation of the verb katechō (κατέχω).

In both instances, the verb means “to hold back, to restrain” since the word pertains to preventing someone from doing something by restraining or hindering.

This time the referent of this participle is the person of the Holy Spirit, who indwells every church age believer, manifesting itself through the individual members of the church who are in fellowship with Him through obedience to His teaching in the Word of God.

Therefore, the verb katechō (κατέχω) here in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 is expressing the idea that the person of the Holy Spirit manifesting His omnipotence through church age believers, who obey His teaching in the Word of God, is preventing the mystery of lawlessness from being revealed.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 Consequently, then the one who is characterized by a distinguishable lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord will execute as a criminal with the breath from His mouth. Specifically, whom He will cause to come to an end by the unique manifestation produced by His arrival. 9 The one whose appearance will as a certainty be in accordance with activity produced by Satan with the manifestation of all types of supernatural power, specifically with all types of miracles, yes with all types of wonders, which are a lie. 10 Specifically, with every type of deception, which produces unrighteousness to the detriment of those who choose for themselves to perish. In exchange for which things, they choose for themselves to refuse to love the truth so as to be saved. 12 so that each and every one of them would be condemned as guilty. Namely, those who have not believed this truth but rather have delighted in that which is characterized by a distinguishable unrighteousness. (Pastor’s translation)